Air-compressor



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. P. PITZPATRIOK.

'AIR GOMPRESSQR. l No. 4012.517.- l Patented Apr. 30, y1889..

(No Modem 3 sheets-sheet 2.

H. F. FITZPATRIC'K. f Y AIR COMPRESSOR. Nb;l. 4o2.517.' PaentedApr. so, 1889.

J r 7c NV PETEFIS. Phmlthognplnr, Wallington. D. CV

l3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

H. P.l FITZPATRICK.

(NqModel.)

AIR- ooMPRBssoR.

No.- 402,517. PatentedvApr. so, 18a-9.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orricn.

HUGH FRANCIS FITZPATRIOK, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO EDWIN K. OONOVER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

AIR-COMPRESSOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,517, dated April 30, 1889.

Serial No. 282,348. (No model.)

,To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, HUGH FRANCIS FITZ- PATRICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county of New York, and i State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Compressors, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a partof the same. 1o This invention relates to improvements in that class of air-compressors known as hydraulic air-compressors, in which the compressing agent employed is water and in which the valves for the admission and discharge of the water to and from the compressing-chamber are operated through suitable connections by means of a float within said chamber rising therein with .the incoming water and falling with the same during its zo escape, the operations of the different parts of the apparatus being accomplished automatically. Y

It is the object of the present invention to provide an air-compressor of this class in z 5 which the valves and valve-operating mechanism shall be much simplified in construction and rendered perfectly reliable and certain in their operation.

It is also the obj ect of the present invention 3o to provide a simple and effective means for preventing the water from escaping through the air-outlet in case, for any reason, the valves for the admission and discharge of the water fail to operate properly.

To these ends the invention consists -primarily of a construction of valve mechanism in which the valves for controlling both the admission and discharge of the water are combined together and operated by the same 4o mechanism, and in which the valve for controlling the admission of water to the compression-chamber also forms an auxiliary discharge-valve and operates, when it has been moved to cut off the admission of water, to permit the escape of a sufficient quantity of water from the chamber to reduce the press ure of the water in the chamber sufficiently to permit of the operation of the main valve controlling the discharge, so as to open the 5o' discharge-port to its full extent and permit the water to escape thereby until t-he chamber has been emptied.

The invention further consists of certain improvements in the means for preventing the escape of water through the air-outlet, al1 of which will be hereinafter fully explained and particularly pointed out.

The improvements constituting the present invention can best be understood by a detailed description and an illust-ration of a mechanism embodying the same. All further preliminary description will therefore be vomitted and a detailed description given, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a Vertical longitudinal section of an air-compressor embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is avertical transverse section of the same taken on the line 2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical longitudinal sections of that portion of the air-compressor which contains the water-inlet and discharge-valve mechanisms, illustrating the operation of the same. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken upon the line 5 of Fig. 4., illustrating the construction of the inlet and discharge valves. Fig. 6 is an end view, and Fig. 7 a side view, of the main discharge-valve- Referring to said drawings, it will be understood that A represents an air-compression chamber, which will preferably be of the form shown, in order to permit of the operation of the devices which it contains, said chamber being dome-shaped at its upper portion, as shown. The chamber A is mounted upon a base-plate, B, provided at its forward end with supply and discharge pipes O E. The .dis charge-pipe E communicates by means of a discharge-chamber, F, and port G with a chamber, D, formed in the base-plate B and opening into the compression chamber A. The bore of the pipe C extends into a spindle, P, which projects into the chamber D and forms a spindle for the inlet and discharge valves. l The spindle P is provided at a point within the chamber D with one or more port-s, c, through which the pipe O communicates at the proper time with the chamber D to iill the same and the chamber A with water. The

spindle P is provided with an inlet and aux- IOO iliary discharge-val ve, H, which forms a sleeve around the spindle, and is arranged to slide back and forth thereon to open or close the ports c, and thus establish or shut olf communication between the pipe C and the chamber A. The sliding valve H is provided at its rear end with a circumferential flange, h. The spindle P also carries a main discharge-valve, I, which is arranged, like the valve H, to slide back and forth thereon. The inner end of the valve I is formed to close the dischargeport G, while its opposite end abuts against the flange 7L of the valve II. The valve I is provided with one or more auxiliary dischargeports, Z, which open through the opposite ends of' the valve in position to communicate with the port G at one end, and to be closed by the flange h at the other end. The ports Z are surrounded at their outer ends by rims z', which engage with the flange 7L of the valve Il, so as to leave a slight space between the two valves, as shown in Fig. l.

The flange 71y of the valve His provided with a rim, 9, which forms a cavity in the end of the valve, which cavity receives the end of the valve I, the latter valve being provided at that end with a flange, j, which iits loosely within the rim 9. The flange j is, however, as will be observed, of less thickness than the rim 9. The purpose of this will appear when the operation of the apparatus is explained. In order to allow the water to enter freely between the rim 9 and iiange h and the end of the valve I, the flange j may be provided with one or more notches or openings, k, as best shown in Fig. 6. The seat for the valve I around the port G is formed of a piece of rubber or other elastic material, l2preferably a short section of rubber tube-which is fitted into a recess formed around the port and is secured in position by means of ametal ring, 13, inserted within the valve-seat l2, so as to expand it against the sides of the port.

The opening in the valve I, which receives the spindle P, is provided with alateral port, 8, (see Fig. 1,) which allows the water to freely enter and escape from the opening, and thus prevents the valve from being locked by water that may leak around the spindle.

Arranged above and upon each side of the chamber D are uprights J, secured to the baseplate B. Fulcrumed upon a shaft, m, secured in the lower ends of the uprights J, is alever, K, having four legs, n, which straddle the valves I-I I and the rim 9. The upper end of the lever K is elongated, so as to lie between and be moved back and forth at the proper times by tappets a l), projecting from a lever, L, fulcrumed upon a shaft, 0, secured in the upper ends of the uprights J, and carrying at its other end a weight, O. The shaft o has also fulcrumed loosely upon it, independently of the lever L, a lever, M, carrying at one end a float, N, and at its other end tappets f g, one upon each side of the lever L, as shown, for operating the same and raising the weight O.

Referring now particularly to Fig. l, the airinlet and compressed-air outlet mechanisms will be described. The air inlet and outlet valves are contained within a valve-casing secured to the dome-shaped portion of the chamber A. Between said valve-casing and the dome-shaped portion of the chamber is secured a diaphragm, of rubber or other flexible material, provided with one or more holes, y, for the passage of the air in entering and leaving the chamber. This diaphragm also serves to make the connection between the valve-casing and the chamber A air and water tight.

The air-inlet mechanism consists of anordinary check-valve, p, seated loosely in a recess, q, formed in the valve-casing. The recess q communicates by means of an inlet duct or passage, r, with the chamber A, as shown.

The air-ou tlet consists of an ordinary checkvalve, s, seated in a recess, t, said recess comm unicating by means of an outlet duct or passage, il, with the chamber A, and also communicating with a passage, r, in the dischargenozzle Q, through which the compressed air passes to the place of use. The valve p will normally be held to its seat by its own weight, and during the passage of the compressed air from the chamber A any portion of the same which enters the passage r will be preventedv by saidvalve from escaping therefrom to the open air. The valve s will be normally held to its seatby its spring w orby its weight, and will thus prevent any of the compressed air which has passed through the nozzle Q from returning therefrom to the chamber.

The valve s and spring w may be provided with any of the well-known devices for increasing or decreasing the pressure of the spring upon said valve to increase or decrease the pressure at which the compressed air passing by said valve shall be supplied to the place of use.

To prevent the escape of water from the chamber'A through the passage u with the compressed air when through any cause the water in the chamber A rises above the proper height, said passage is elongated at its lower end, so as to project downwardlya slight distance, so that when the float, rising with the water, reaches the diaphragm x, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l, it will press the same tightly against the end of the passage u, and thus close the same and prevent the passage of water from the chamber to said passage.

The operation of the apparatus thus organized is asfollows: Assuming that the parts are in the position shown in Fig. l, and that the inlet-pipe C is connected to awater-supply having a suitable head-for example, the ordinary city-water-the water will enter through the pipe C and ports c and ll the chamber A. As the water thus enters the chamber A the air contained in the chamber will pass through the openings g/ of the diaphragm 0c and through the outlet-passage u, raising the valve s and passing to the place of use, the amount of compression given to the air being determined IOO IIO

by the head or pressure of the water entering the chamber. As the water enters and i fills the chamber A the float N will ride 'up- .i At or about this time Athe lever L will be carried slightly beyond a vertical position, when the weight O willat once fall in the opposite direction, carrying the lever to the. position shown in Fig. 4L and causing the tappet b to engage with the lever K and rock said lever, so that its legs. n, which engage with the rim 9, will move the valve H into position to close Athe ports c, and thus shut off the flow of water into the chamber. As the valve H is thus moved to cover the ports c the legs .n of the lever Kwill engage with ,the liange ,j of the valve I, as shown in Fig. 5, and thus the tendency of the weight O will be exerted to move the valve I from its seat l2, and thus open the port G. In many cases, however, the pressure of the'water in the chamber A will be suicient when exerted against the whole area of the valve I to prevent the weight O from moving the valve I.` The pressure of the Water in the chamber exerted against the valve H will, however, be so small, owing to the small area of the ports Z, that the weight O will always be sufficient to move the valve H. As the valve H is moved to close the ports c, as just explained, it will, by reason of the difference in thickness of the flange j and the rim 9, move the valve H slightly away from the valve I, and thus open the ports Z, as shown in Fig. ,4. The water contained in the chamber A will then iind an escape through the notches Zo and ports y Z `until the pressure in the chamber has been so reducedthatthe weight O will be sufficient to overcome the pressure against the. valve I, and as soon as this condition exists the weight will at once act to rock the lever K still farther and open the port G to permit the rapid escape of the water, as shown in Fig. 3. The water will then iiow rapidly out of the chamber and its place will be taken by air, which will venter past the valve p and through the duct r. As

the floatN falls with the discharge of the water the tappet f will engage with the opposite side of the lever L and rock the lever back slightly past its vertical position, and as soon as the lever L arrives in this position the weight O will fall over to the position shown in Fig. l, thereby rocking the lever K, so as to move the valves I H into position to close the ports G and Z and open the ports c, and the operation will be repeated.

If for any reason the inlet and discharge valve apparatus fail to operate to shut off the inflow of water at the proper time, the loatrN will be carried upward by the rising water until it is forced against the diaphragm w, and as soon as this takes place the diaphragm will close the duct u and prevent the escape of water past the valve s with the compressed air.

As shown in the drawings, the tappets g and ct are provided with adj usting-screws (Z e, by which the time Jfor contact between the said tappets and the levers can be adj usted. These adj listing-screws will in some cases be convenient; but if the apparatus is properly constructed they will not be necessary.

What I claim is* l. The combination, with the chamberA, having'the water inlet and discharge ports c G, of the valve I, controlling the port G, an auxiliary discharge -port, Z, communicating with the chamber A andthe discharge-outlet, and the valve H, controlling the ports Z c, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the chamber A, having the water inlet and discharge ports c G, of the valve I, sliding on the spindle P and controlling the port G, and having a port, Z, communicating with the port G and the chamber, the valve H also sliding on said spindle and controlling the ports Z c, the lever K, operating said valves with lost motion between the two, the weighted lever L, having tappets engaging lwith the lever K, and the lever M, operated by a float and having tappets engaging with the lever L, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the .chamber A and lloat N, of the air-outlet duct u, and valve s and the diaphragm a', extending across the roo air-duct and arranged to be pressed against the opening of the duct to close the same by the float N, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing wit- 105 nesses.

HUGH .FRANCIS FITZPATRICK. Witnesses:

T. H. PALMER, J. J. KENNEDY. 

